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Flintoff in form, but Beefy's not amused

Andrew Flintoff, the big-built youngster on whom England have pegged much of its hopes in the coming World Cup competiton, indicated that he could be peaking at just the right time, with a superb knock for Lancashire against Leicestershire, at the latter's home base in Grace Road.

The 21-year-old all rounder blasted 86 with 11 fours and two sixes, albeit in a losing cause, to add to the 143 off 66 balls he had hammered against Essex in a national league game last week.

Interestingly, Flintoff's innings against Leicestershire ended thanks to a dream ball from Australian pace bowler Michael Kasprowicz, who uprooted his off-stump with an express delivery.

Former all rounder Ian Botham, however, has condemned England's strategy of making its World Cup players turn out for the county circuit as a stupid gamble. The risk of injury, Botham argued, was too great to run the risk. The national selectors however have defended the move as being the best way to keep the squad match fit and used to home conditions.

Botham, who is an official ambassador for the World Cup, is now on a quick tour of the country. Speaking at one of the numerous functions in that capacity, Botham slammed the selectors' ploy of making the English players turn out for the county circuit, terming the move as an equivalent of the 'naughty boy nets'.

Botham argued that asking the English players to turn up for county games could be because the side had played badly in Sharjah in the recent tri-series, but if that is the case, it is a "stupid gamble" to take.

"It's stupid to risk someone picking up a hamstring strain or something like that and be struggling for the tournament," said Botham.

Botham pointed out that Australia does it in a more civilised fashion. "If they get defeated, they learn from it and move on," he pointed out. Australia, interestingly, have allowed their players a break in the Bahamas at the end of a strenuous winter programme -- a policy Botham says England should have copied.

"I'd have sent the players away en-bloc out of the way for five or six days to get to know each other and do a bit of bonding," he explained. "The Australians do everything together and it reflects in the way they play."